Gatundu tea directors retain seats, to push for reforms in sector
Former Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) boss David Ichoho (pictured) and MP Gabriel Kagombe are among the seven directors who were re-elected to serve as directors of Theta and Ndarugu tea factories in Gatundu South, Kiambu County.
Others who were reconfirmed by farmers to continue serving them for another period of three years is the current Theta factory chairman Charles Wanyoike Gatithi, Joe Mworia Gathuka (Karatu), Timothy Ng’ang’a (Gathaite) and Gerald Waweru Ndego from Mundoro electoral area.
In the elections conducted by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Julius Njoroge Ngugi was the only new entrant in the factories board of management after farmers from Ndundu electoral area nominated him for the position.
Regulatory reforms
The elected directors led by Kagombe and Ichoho vowed to continue implementing the regulatory reforms which they said are critical in revitalising the state in the tea sub-sector to ensure that farmers got the value of their toil.
Kagombe stated that the new leadership will look at the current gaps along the value chain and ensure small-scale tea farmers enjoy their hard-earned money, a move that will require improvement of the governance system and enabling small scale farmers to have more authority on decision making. He insisted that with perfect management, Kenyan tea can top globally as the most consumed product and compete with countries such as China and Sri Lanka.
“The government has already implemented a raft of reforms that has seen farmers’ earnings improve. We have also sealed most of the loopholes where farmers’ hard-earned money was being pilfered and siphoned by cartels. This among other measures must continue to be implemented if we indeed are serious about restoring the glory of tea farming,” he said.
The new director expressed concerns that 98 per cent of tea produced in the country is sold at the Mombasa auction in bulk, saying that time is ripe for the government to invest in value addition to the crop that is considered as one of top foreign income earners for the country.
Kagombe called for injection of more resources into tea research and innovations to improve on quality and quantity for the sake of increasing tea earnings and bettering the livelihoods of hardworking farmers.
“We have a duty to better our packaging, branding and blending to fetch the best from the available market. Already, we are in the process of beginning to conduct research on how our value addition systems can be enhanced. Farmers must enjoy the best returns for their hard work,” stated Kagombe.
